Monday Night Raw – October 21, 2019: The Future Is Bad

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 21, 2019
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler, Vic Joseph

It’s time to see what this roster can do on its own after the Draft, but it also means that it’s time to deal with the fallout from the destruction of the Firefly Fun House last week. Unfortunately that means we’re building towards Crown Jewel, as we have ten days before the show. I’m not sure what we’re going to be seeing tonight but I’m not expecting the most thrilling show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt, including Rollins burning it down.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Ric Flair to announce his final pick for Crown Jewel. After talking to some Cleveland Browns, Flair talks about going to Saudi in two weeks (because not knowing the date of a show is a problem for legends too). Here’s his final member, who has kissed every girl in this town and made them cry: Drew McIntyre. Drew says Flair to grab a seat for a Crown Jewel preview.

Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre

Ricochet goes straight at him and gets knocked outside as Flair is rather pleased. Back in and Drew hammers away as the announcers make sure to point out that Ricochet beat Drew in their previous match (points for continuity). Drew brings him back inside and stomps away before cranking on an armbar. A shot to the face sets up the armbar’s sequel as Ricochet can’t get anything going.

Ricochet fights up but gets muscled up into a suplex, only to knee his way to freedom. McIntyre elbows him to the floor but Ricochet switches places with him for a running flip suicide dive. Back from a break with Drew grabbing another armbar so we go to a quick interview with Flair, who wants Hogan to be at Smackdown in whatever city they’re going to. Ricochet gets out and dropkicks Drew out of the air to finally get a breather. An enziguri staggers Drew and it’s a springboard clothesline to take McIntyre down.

There’s the running shooting star press for one and a Lionsault for two but McIntyre ax handles him out of the air as well. A Razor’s Edge buckle bomb sets up a sitout powerbomb for a rather close two. The Futureshock is countered and Ricochet kicks him in the face, setting up a Death Valley Driver. The shooting star press gets two more but the Recoil is countered with a nasty backdrop to the floor. McIntyre posts him and there’s the Claymore for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. They had a heck of a match here as these two have some very solid chemistry together. McIntyre comes back with a clean win which will hopefully move him up to the next level. That being said, I’ve been hoping that is the case for a long time now and nothing has ever happened so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Either way, very solid match here between two guys who are awesome at what they do.

Post match Flair struts and McIntyre lays Ricochet out with a heck of a Futureshock. The reverse Alabama Slam into the steps leaves Ricochet like a bug on a windshield.

We recap the OC attacking the Street profits to set up a six man tag with the Street Profits bringing in a mystery partner.

The OC thinks the Street Profits should earn their keep around here and don’t like the team being the unofficial hosts of the show. They don’t like being in Cleveland and don’t care about who is going to be the Profits’ partner.

Video on Andrade, Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy.

Aleister Black is full of rage and wants a fight.

Aleister Black vs. Jason Reynolds

Black starts in with the kicks to the leg and a legsweep lets him sit down. A spinning elbow to the face drops Reynolds but he’s back up with some forearms to the back. That just gets on Black’s nerves and he knees Reynolds in the face. Black Mass is good for the pin at 1:45.

AOP says Raw signed them not to compete here but to keep them away from Smackdown. The next chapter in tag team history will be written in pain.

Jerry Lawler is in the ring for the King’s Court. He recaps the Bobby Lashley/Lana situation and brings out Rusev for his first comments on the situation. Lawler says marriages should be kept private but brings up some of the things that Lana has said about Rusev: he sends too much money back to Bulgaria, he interferes with her modeling career and he has cut down on the amount of money that he gives her.

Rusev blames Bob Lashley and promises to crush him, which brings Lashley and Lana to the screen. They are out at dinner, as Lashley needs to take care of her needs. Lana puts some whipped cream on his nose before saying Rusev would never take her here after asking so many times.

Lashley took her here though and she loves him. The feed cuts out and Rusev looks distraught, again. Rusev knows where they are and wants to go deliver that message personally. He runs off, presumably to….whatever city the two of them are in and happen to be sitting there for however long it takes Rusev to arrive, despite saying they were done with their meal.

Andrade vs. Sin Cara

On the way to the ring, Zelina Vega talks about how awesome Andrade is. Other than the Super ShowDown battle royal, this is Cara’s first televised match in fifteen months. Cara knocks Andrade outside and hits a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody for two. A backbreaker out of the corner gives Andrade two but Cara sends him right back to the floor for a moonsault.

We take a break and come back with the slugout going to Cara and a springboard crossbody taking Andrade down. A Death Valley Driver puts Andrade down but he sends Cara hard into the corner. Andrade plants him with a tilt-a-whirl reverse powerbomb and hits Three Amigos. The Eddie dance looks to set up a frog splash but Cara is up there with a sunset bomb for two of his own.

Cara gets crotched on top though and the running knees in the corner get two. A backdrop puts Andrade on the floor and there’s a slingshot hurricanrana to take him down again. Zelina offers a distraction though and it’s a hurricanrana from the apron. The hammerlock DDT ends Cara at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This had no business being entertaining and wound up being a pretty nice match. Cara is 42 and does more than well enough in his matches, though I’m not sure how much he’s going to do other than something like this. He looks good enough and can fly around fairly well so he’s fine in this role. They got the ending right too so it’s hard to complain all that much.

Humberto Carrillo is watching from the back and wants to face Andrade. He wants to be Universal Champion and even mentions Seth Rollins. Stop playing above your head man.

The Street Profits talk about the OC being mother lovers but insist that their mothers love them more. Tonight, they’re in the main event and yes they have a mystery partner. Ford thinks it might be Ric Flair but he’s already at the after party. It won’t be Booker T. either because he hasn’t knighted Angelo Dawkins. The guy doesn’t like AJ though and he’s just like them. It’s going to be rather disappointing if it’s just Cedric Alexander.

R-Truth is hiding in the back but runs into Sunil Singh, who offers a distraction so Sumir Singh can roll Truth up and steal the title. Thankfully they are called the Bollywood Boyz, as they should have been for months now.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins wonder if they’ll get pyro tonight.

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. War Raiders

Non-title and no they don’t get pyro. The Raiders don’t waste time and run them over to start with Erik driving Ivar into Ryder in the corner. Things settle down and an STO/Russian legsweep combination puts Erik down to put the champs in trouble. Erik isn’t having a chinlock though and powers up for the hot tag to Ivar. Eric gets slammed onto Ryder and a big knee sends him outside. The Viking Experience finishes Hawkins at 3:43.

Rating: D+. This is exactly what it needed to be as Hawkins and Ryder shouldn’t be a threat to the monster champions. Until the AOP gets here for the mega hoss fight, no one should be making the Raiders sweat even a bit, which has been the case so far, save for Ziggler and Roode to a small extent. Dominant performance here, as it should have been.

Lashley and Lana are still at the restaurant when presumably the manager comes up and asks them to leave before Rusev shows up and makes trouble. So either someone either called the restaurant to warn them or someone at the restaurant was watching the show and saw Rusev was coming? And again, this is certainly a Cleveland restaurant or somewhere nearby, or this whole thing makes no sense, assuming Rusev shows up.

Post break, Rusev arrives at the restaurant and the fight is on as Lashley is not only a homewrecker but also doesn’t listen to management. Security splits them up as screaming ensues, including extra from Lana as Rusev is taken away.

Here’s Rey Mysterio, still with his arm in a sling, for a chat. Rey thanks everyone for the love and support he and his family have received since Brock Lesnar took him out. He was thinking about retiring but now he has a new way of thinking because he wants to see Cain Velasquez take the WWE Championship and put another scar on Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman pops up on screen to ask if Mysterio would say the same things if Lesnar was there in person.

Mysterio thought he had the perfect choice to go after Lesnar but Brock has spent nine years waiting for that day. Rey yells in Spanish but here’s Shelton Benjamin to ask how Cain got a title shot. Just for defending Rey’s kid when Rey couldn’t do it? Shelton and Brock are friends too because they roomed together at the University of Minnesota. Rey says Shelton has it all wrong but Shelton wants to know what happens if he shoves Rey around. Maybe one shove is a US Title shot and two is an Intercontinental Title shot.

Shelton asks where Cain Velasquez is….and here he comes, with Shelton realizing that he’s screwed up. Shelton can’t take him down so Cain tosses him to the mat a few times and hammers away, eventually choking Shelton for a quick tap. That….wasn’t very impressive and the fans don’t seem to care all that much.

Seth Rollins is ready for the Fiend and will burn it down again. He pauses though and goes over to Humberto Carrillo, who doesn’t seem to understand what it takes to be a champion. Rollins would burn it down again so let’s have a match tonight.

We see a parade in Saudi Arabia, featuring Undertaker on a huge WWE float.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Seth Rollins

Non-title. Carrillo armdrags him a few times to start but Rollins gets him on the mat for a quickly broken reverse chinlock. A half crab sends Carrillo to the ropes again so he’s right back with the high springboard into an armdrag. They head outside with Rollins snapping off a suplex to send us to a break. Back with Carrillo fighting out of a chinlock and flipping out of a belly to back suplex.

A springboard kick to the head staggers Seth again and it’s a springboard armdrag to bring him off the mat. The big running flip dive drops Seth on the floor but Seth is right back in to Falcon Arrow Carrillo for two. The springboard knee to the head gives Seth two, followed by the low superkick for the same. Carrillo gets in his own kick to the face and a great looking moonsault gets two, but a second attempt hits raised boots. The Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 12:03.

Rating: C+. I know it won’t mean anything going forward but I can’t help thinking about how many Stomps the Fiend got out of when it takes one to put Carrillo away. They’re not on the same level but when someone can survive a finisher eleven times (and then loses the match), it’s taking away the impact that it has while also making anyone who falls to it look weak.

Seth shows respect post match.

R-Truth rolls up the wrong Singh Brother in an attempt to get the title back. The real champ runs off. Truth: “SO THERE ARE TWO OF THEM!”

The Firefly Fun House is back on Friday. I certainly hope so.

Street Profits/??? vs. OC

The Profits do their big, high energy entrance and the fans….don’t seem to care. It gets a bit better but this thing was tailor made for a small place like Full Sail and it doesn’t work here. There’s no mystery partner so the OC mocks them, suggesting that he’s invisible or imaginary. We see a clip of the brawl that set up the match and take a break. Back with….no one as a partner so AJ is on the floor to start.

The Profits waste no time in clearing the ring so it’s gallows coming in for a big boot. Everything breaks down and Ford comes in to clean house, only to get thrown over the top for a crash. Anderson hits a running knee from the apron to take him down again and we take a break. Back with Ford not being able to dive over and get the tag to Dawkins so the beating can continue. The chinlock goes on but Ford fights up and hits a double clothesline. Anderson gets a blind tag but gets sent outside, allowing the hot tag to Dawkins.

House is cleaned but Gallows pulls Anderson out of a Doomsday Device. Anderson’s spinebuster gets two on Ford but AJ gets yelled at for interfering. That means an ejection…..and here’s Kevin Owens to fight AJ, presumably being the third man. Anderson is so stunned that he backdrops Ford to the floor, with Dawkins making the tag on the way through the air. The big frog splash finishes Anderson at 13:03.

Rating: C-. They put WAY too much into this at once as you had a crowd who didn’t know the Profits and then the focus was taken off of them twice. This was spent looking to see who the partner was going to be, wondering why it was then a regular tag match and then having Owens come out to get the attention off of the Profits again. Giving them the win was the right call and the match wasn’t bad, but it was too much going on to showcase them properly.

Overall Rating: D+. We hadn’t seen people like Carrillo, Sin Cara or the Profits around here much before and I think this show explained why. Their matches were fine to good but it was really hard to get hyped up about them. The whole show felt underwhelming and while it did a decent job of setting up for Crown Jewel, it doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence for the future of Raw. The show wasn’t the worst but it just wasn’t that interesting and nothing stood out aside from the opener and the lack of a women’s match (or even an appearance from the major women). I hope it gets better because this was dry.

Results

Drew McIntyre b. Ricochet – Claymore

Aleister Black b. Jason Reynolds – Black Mass

Andrade b. Sin Cara – Hammerlock DDT

Viking Raiders b. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder – Viking Experience to Hawkins

Seth Rollins b. Humberto Carrillo

Street Profits b. OC – Frog splash to Anderson

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT – April 24, 2019: Keep Planning Ahead

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 24, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Things are getting interesting around here as Johnny Gargano is still dealing with the Undisputed Era. That could make for some fun matches going forward and we’re starting those tonight with Roderick Strong getting a non-title shot at the champ. Other than that, we could be in for the first steps towards Velveteen Dream vs. Dominik Dijakovic for the North American Title. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a quick recap of Gargano vs. Strong.

Opening sequence.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Humberto Carrillo

Ryker powers him into the corner to start but Carrillo flips out of a belly to back suplex. A springboard kick to the face gets two and there’s a headscissors to take Ryker down again. The standing moonsault is good for two more but Ryker gets all serious and hiptosses Carrillo into the corner. The Widowmaker sends Carrillo outside but Ryker follows and sends him into the barricade a few times. They head over the barricade with Ryker kneeing him in the head against another barricade for….I guess the double countout at 2:59.

Post match the beating continues until Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan come out for the save.

Adam Cole doesn’t want to hear about Strong getting a match with the cowardly Gargano. It doesn’t matter though because Strong will get the job done. Matt Riddle pops up to laugh at Cole being so jealous. Cole leaves and Riddle does his photo shoot with the goofy poses that feel more natural for him than talking.

Vanessa Borne/Aliyah vs. Candice LeRae/Kacy Catanzaro

Aliyah takes Catanzaro down to start and drops a knee with a flip forward for a bonus. Catanzaro is right back up with a flipping kick to the back so Aliyah pulls her down by the hair. Borne comes in to forearm her in the back and it’s Aliyah working on something like a surfboard. A double neckbreaker gets Catanzaro out of trouble and it’s off to Candice to pick things up a bit. The missile dropkick sets up a springboard jawbreaker (Nigel: “NOT TO THE FACE! NOT TO THE FACE!”) to Borne and the Lionsault is good for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: D+. Candice is clearly miles ahead of the other three, which for Kacy is just due to inexperience. Aliyah and Borne can get by without embarrassing themselves but Aliyah should have gotten better just due to time spent around here. The match wasn’t bad, but Candice was the only thing worth seeing.

We look back at Io Shirai being forced to watch Kairi Sane having her arm crushed last week.

Shirai promises to get Shayna Baszler but Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke beat her down.

Video on Kushida, who debuts next week.

William Regal is excited to see Kushida debut and like clockwork, here’s Kassius Ohno to interrupt. They exchange pleasantries and Ohno offers to be Kushida’s first opponent. Regal thinks that’s an excellent idea and the match is made.

Street Profits vs. War Raiders

Non-title. How often do you see NXT’s continuity behind WWE? Ford hits a big flip dive over the top to take the champs down and it’s a spinebuster into the frog splash for a VERY close two on Rowe. A Doomsday Device is escaped and Hanson is in to hammer on Dawkins. The running seated crossbody drops Dawkins and a heck of a clothesline puts Ford down. We settle down to a regular match with Hanson slamming Rowe onto Dawkins, who is right back with a right hand to the jaw.

Ford’s running forearms stagger Hanson, who kicks him in the face. Ford is right back with a delayed belly to back suplex and Rowe gets knocked to the floor. Some spinning splashes in the corner get two on Hanson but the handspring double elbow takes the Profits down. Rowe comes back in for the knee to Dawkins’ head, setting up the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination to Dawkins. Thor’s Hammer finishes Ford at 5:48.

Rating: B. That was a lot of fun with the only lower point being the part where they were actually doing a regular tag match. The Profits can go and with the Raiders heading up to the main roster (under whatever name they’re called this week), someone is going to have to take the titles. I don’t think the Profits will be the team to take them, but they had a very good match here.

Mia Yim doesn’t like Bianca Belair calling herself undefeated because she’s been defeated. Yim should be getting the next title shot and she’s going to prove it.

Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Gargano

Non-title. Strong front facelocks him to start but has to roll his way out of an early Gargano Escape attempt. Gargano knocks him outside for a kick to the face from the apron. A half nelson backbreaker onto the apron puts Gargano in more trouble and a gutbuster gives Strong two. He cranks on Gargano’s arm for a bit before chopping him on the mat and yelling at Gargano to stay down.

The Gory Stretch makes things even worse for Gargano and he rolls outside. This time the half nelson backbreaker is countered into a whip into the steps to put Strong in trouble for a change. Back in and the slingshot spear gives Johnny two. The rolling kick to the head sends Strong outside again for the Cannonball from the apron. They head inside again with the low superkick giving Gargano two but the Lawn Dart is countered.

Strong gets a butterfly suplex into a backbreaker for two, followed by another backbreaker and the belly to back faceplant for two. Johnny pulls him down into the Gargano Escape but here’s Adam Cole for the distraction. A rollup gives Strong two as the rest of the Era comes out. Cue Matt Riddle for the save and the distracted Cole kicks Strong in the head by mistake. That sets up the slingshot DDT to give Gargano the pin at 13:38.

Rating: B-. This was all about the ending but it was nice to have Gargano get a victory over someone with some credibility after the title win. I’m hoping the Era isn’t about to split as they never quite made it all the way to the top of the promotion. Cole as NXT Champion with his minions around him could have made for a good story, but the team has been together for a long time now and I can see why they might want to move on.

The Era argues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s another show where they just do everything right, including good wrestling and storyline advancement that the show thrives on. I can’t emphasize enough how great it is to have things built up for next week. When Raw and Smackdown are seemingly written the day of the show, it’s so nice to have some structure instead of setting everything up the night of the show. Do more of that and things will get a little better.

Results

Jaxson Ryker vs. Humberto Carrillo went to a double countout

Kacy Catanzaro/Candice LeRae b. Aliyah/Vanessa Borne – Lionsault to Borne

War Raiders b. Street Profits – Thor’s Hammer to Ford

Johnny Gargano b. Roderick Strong – Slingshot DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Takeover: New York: The Gold Show

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: New York
Date: April 5, 2019
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re finally in the big city for what might be the best show of the weekend (I’m looking at you ROH/G1. Impress me.) with a new NXT Champion guaranteed in the main event. Other than that we have all title matches up and down the card with the United Kingdom Title on the line as well. I guess I can deal with this if I have to. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the history of Takeovers (and Arrival) before getting to tonight’s card. The history was rather quick and that’s fine in something like this.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet

The Raiders are defending and come out with vikings beating on drums because they’re awesome that way. Ricochet and Black won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to get the shot. Black and Rowe start things off and they actually go technical with Rowe taking him down but not throwing a right hand at a downed opponent. Back up and Black puts his foot on the side of Rowe’s head as the mind games continue. They bump fists and it’s off to Hanson vs. Ricochet, much to the fans’ delight.

Ricochet goes with the speed and sends Hanson outside, leaving Rowe to take a dropkick. Black moonsaults to the middle and has a seat next to Ricochet as the NXT chants go up again. Back in and the pace quickens with Hanson sitting on Ricochet’s chest in the corner, setting up a slam to drop Rowe onto him again. With Ricochet mostly crushed, Rowe starts in on Black’s arm but the second tandem slam is cut off with a legsweep.

Ricochet already comes back in for a kick to the head and a springboard clothesline drops Rowe. Black’s elbow to the face gets one and we hit a seated abdominal stretch as the fans go nuts over something in the crowd. They chant YOU DESERVE IT until Rowe fights up and throws Black down with a slam. Hanson comes in to clean house, including the running clotheslines in the corner. Ricochet has had it with the beating and FALL AWAY SLAMS HANSON for your WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT/MAMA MIA spot.

Black and Rowe slug it out with Black kicking him in the head but getting kneed out of the air. A knee strike of his own sets up a heck of a German suplex for two on Rowe and the fans get to breathe while applauding. Hanson and Ricochet come back in for a flip off until Ricochet scores with his own kick to the head. That’s fine with Hanson, who hits a Tajiri handspring elbow (he shouldn’t be able to do that) for his own near fall. Ricochet knocks him off the top but it’s a blind tag, allowing Rowe to knee him into the corner.

Rowe throws Hanson into Ricochet in the corner and it’s a springboard clothesline/German suplex combination for two more with Black coming off the top with a double stomp for the save. Hanson gets sent outside and moonsaulted by Black, who takes a suicide dive from Rowe (whose feet got a little caught on the ropes). Ricochet busts out a corkscrew Space Flying Tiger Drop but it’s Hanson with a Cannonball off the top because it’s ok if he kills everyone.

Ricochet and Rowe dive back in to break up the count and it’s Black coming in as well. Rowe growls at him and takes a sweet Black Mass, knocking him silly. The 630 connects but Hanson shoves Black onto the cover for the save. Another 630 misses and Hanson blasts Black with a clothesline on the floor. Back in and Thor’s Hammer hits Ricochet and Hanson suicide dives onto Black. Fallout to Ricochet retains the titles at 18:39.

Rating: A. Yeah that was incredible and an instant classic with all four doing things that shouldn’t be humanly possible. Hanson alone is an athletic freak and their power moves are more than enough to carry them as far as they need to go. Ricochet and Black are going to be fine as they have solid chemistry, though Black still seems more like a singles star. Anyway, outstanding opener as the bar has been set.

Post match, hands are shaken and Black/Ricochet get the big sendoff to the main roster. Well they certainly deserve that.

Piper Niven and Toni Storm are here.

We recap Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle. Dream finally won the big one by winning the North American Title back in February but Riddle showed up to get a better look at the belt. Dream didn’t like someone taking his spotlight and the match was made.

North American Title: Matt Riddle vs. Velveteen Dream

Dream is defending. Riddle comes out in a pinstripe jacket and Dream…..is the Statue of Liberty, sitting on a throne carried by four men ala Macho King Randy Savage. There certainly are some similarities. The fans are split (of course) and Dream doesn’t like that posing on the corner. Riddle starts kicking at the knee and Dream is completely dominated when he tries to take it to the mat. A springboard armdrag into an armbar has Dream bailing to the ropes as the champ is in early trouble.

They go to a back to back test of strength until Riddle flips over him and reverses a monkey flip into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well so Dream gets smart by stomping on the bare foot. Dream gyrates the hips and gets gutwrench suplexed for his efforts. Riddle picks him up again and gyrates his own hips, allowing Dream to get out and hit a dropkick. With Riddle outside Dream tries a dive but lands in a German suplex on the floor. Back in and Riddle sends him flying with an exploder suplex but it’s too early for the Bromission.

The threat of an armbar sends Dream bailing to the ropes for the break and he’s right back up with a release German suplex. Riddle doesn’t sell German suplexes though and it’s a jumping knee into a fisherman’s buster for his latest near fall. Some forearms in the ropes show some frustration from Riddle so he counters what looked to be a powerbomb into a triangle. With that broken up, a GTS into a German suplex gives Riddle two. Kicks and knees to the chest make Dream HULK UP, meaning it’s a big boot and clothesline to the floor.

There’s the ax handle as we get both sides of the Mega Powers. Dream hits a Fameasser but dives into a jumping knee. A Codebreaker of all things gives Dream two but his running knee is countered into an ankle lock. Riddle switches feet to block Dream kicking him in the face but Dream is right back with a superkick. The wind up DDT sets up the Dream Valley Driver and Dream goes up.

The Purple Rainmaker is countered into most of the Bromission, sending Dream bailing to the ropes. Riddle takes him into the corner for a release German superplex into a corkscrew Swanton for a crazy hot near fall. A superkick doesn’t work for Dream as Riddle knees him into the Bromission but Dream flips back over for the pin at 17:33.

Rating: A. Well those were some of the best near falls I’ve ever seen and they actually got me on the finish. Riddle teasing the heel side during the match because his athleticism couldn’t get around Dream’s creativity and unorthodox style. This was an incredible match and the kind of match that Dream needed to win to really establish himself. I’m surprised that Riddle got pinned so soon, but he didn’t lose much at all from this. Great match as Dream steals another show.

Takeover: New York Preview

We’re under two days away from Takeover: New York and I believe that’s close enough to start getting excited. The show, as always, looks awesome and with a special imported match this year, we could be in for something even better than usual. There isn’t a bad looking match on the card and if things go well, it’s already going to be the show of the year. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane vs. Io Shirai

We’ll start off with a confusing one as it depends on which wrestling story you go for. First of all you have the idea that when everyone else cancels themselves out, the champion, and best performer (maybe) at the moment, in this case Baszler, retains. At the same time though, there is the chance that we could have Baszler showing up on the main roster either over the weekend or next week. You could go either way, or cut it down the middle and have Baszler retain and show up on the main roster.

I think I’ll go with Belair winning, which I hope doesn’t lead to her talking more often. She’s an incredible athlete but she’s also one of the most annoying talkers I can remember in a very long time. Baszler can move up to the main roster while Belair feuds with the Sky Pirates or some of the other upcoming stars in the division. It might not be the most appealing choice, but it’s the one that makes the most sense.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream(c) vs. Matt Riddle

You know what I love the most about NXT? Ok maybe not the most but it’s certainly up there? It’s almost impossible to know who is going to win any given match. This one is a real tossup and it comes after a four way tossup. Dream is crazy over, but Riddle isn’t going to lose this soon in his NXT career. That and Dream just doesn’t win on the big stage most of the time.

That being said, I’ll take Riddle, as Dream might be on his way to the main roster (egads I hope not though). It’s what makes the most sense at this point and that’s usually the way NXT likes to go. These two could have an incredible match with Riddle playing by the rules (mostly) and Dream being so out there that it messes with Riddle’s mind. Either way, the fans are going to be going nuts and it should be awesome. But yeah, Riddle wins in the end.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders(c) vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet

Can I please have an easy match on this show? Not everything has to be so well put together that it’s hard to figure out. Black and Ricochet are going to get a SmackDown Tag Team Title shot on Sunday. Now with that being the case, do you really want them to lose on an NXT show in a Tag Team Title match? If they do, why aren’t the War Raiders getting the shot at WrestleMania? Then again this company doesn’t tend to think that way so it’s anyone’s guess.

I’ll go with the War Raiders retaining here, as Black and Ricochet are locked in on the main roster and there’s no good reason to give them the NXT Tag Team Titles and expect them to be defended. Unless we’re getting some insane title unification deal (which I don’t think we are), the money move would be to make the War Raiders look even more dominant, as they’ve held the titles for a few months now but barely defended them.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne(c) vs. Walter

Just take my money now. I’ll even up it to $19.98 for this one. These two are going to have one of the hardest hitting, knockdown drag out fights you’re ever going to see and it’s going to be awesome. Dunne is the kind of guy who would rather die than lose but he’s come close to being beaten before. How do you get around a monster like Walter? I’m not sure it can be done at this point.

Hence why I’m going with a new champion. Dunne has had an all time title reign and somehow doesn’t feel like he’s outgrown the title or is ready to move on from it, which is perhaps the most remarkable thing about the entire reign. He has to lose at some point though and if it’s not to Walter, who else could it be to? This is where the title change goes down, with Dunne fighting until the bitter end.

NXT Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole

Let’s pause for a second and mourn the missing of what could have been the greatest blowoff in WWE since….I’ll get back to you on that. This was going to be Gargano FINALLY winning the title from Tommaso Ciampa and ending their war once and for all but the pesky neck injury is going to stop us from seeing it for the time being. This is for the vacant title and it’s 2/3 falls, which is kind of NXT’s signature match for a cool change of pace.

And I’m taking Cole winning the third fall after some kind of a distraction from Ciampa. That final match is going to happen and NXT is smart enough to keep Gargano hot until he’s back (they did it before), provided we don’t get something stupid like Cole being called up. Gargano is at his best when he’s chasing something and is foaming at the mouth to get it, so having him lose again and move on to something else is the right call. Also Cole is a great long term champion and could hold the title for months without much of a problem.

Overall Thoughts

Yes. Do I need to explain this any further than that? This could be one of the most entertaining shows of the year (it will be) with this crowd around them. NXT just gets these things and it’s going to be an incredible show with five matches that could all be classics. Just let them do their thing and be handed the weekend, because I don’t think it’s classified as stealing anymore when it’s expected of you.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT – April 3, 2019: Get Your Checklist Ready

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 3, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

This is where NXT tends to shine (among other places) as we have the final show before Takeover: New York. The card is set but now it’s time for the final push towards Friday (yeah Friday again) and that should be awesome. As for tonight we have Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane in a match that is going to end in interference. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

War Raiders vs. ???/???

Non-title. Rowe tosses both of them around and it’s a pop up powerslam for the complete destruction at 1:01.

War Raiders want some more competition.

War Raiders vs. Adrian Jaoude/Cezar Bononi

Non-title. Hanson gets to beat both of them this and it’s off to Rowe, who slams Hanson onto Jaoude. A powerslam/World’s Strongest Slam to both Jaoude and Bononi at the same time makes Rowe look like even more of a monster. Fallout finishes Bononi at 1:22.

Video on Pete Dunne vs. Walter. Just take whatever NXT’s share of my 9.99 is now.

Ad for the Performance Center YouTube channel, including a bunch of shots of people outside the Performance Center. I could go for something like Breaking Ground.

Earlier today Candice LeRae talked about being happy for Johnny Gargano. She wants a title shot of her own but here are Vanessa Borne and Aliyah to laugh at the idea. Then she and Johnny can be failures together. Candice says they would know about failures and says she’ll start getting towards the title with Aliyah.

Oney Lorcan vs. Jaxson Ryker

Danny Burch and the rest of the Forgotten Sons are here. Ryker (I always forget he wrestles too.) drives Lorcan into the corner but Lorcan is fine with the intense brawling style. Lorcan’s shoulder and chop have no effect so it’s time for Burch and the Sons to get in an argument on the floor. The distraction lets Ryker nail a fireman’s carry gutbuster for a near fall. Lorcan’s chops still don’t work and we hit a bearhug to make Lorcan scream. This time he fights out and the chops work for a change but Lorcan misses a charge. A sitout spinebuster finishes Ryker at 5:25.

Rating: D+. This was pretty much a squash, which you don’t often see between established names. Lorcan is now on 205 Live anyway so maybe this is it for him as a full time guy around here. Burch is the kind of guy who can go on his own so he’ll be fine. The Sons are in a better place than they were a few weeks back, but they’re still a long way from where they need to be.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa having to vacate the NXT Title, setting up Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole in a 2/3 falls match for the vacant title in New York.

Video on Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle. That’s your dark horse for show stealer.

We look at Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic from five weeks ago and the followup fight at the Performance Center.

Keith Lee has a mini press conference and promises to make Dijakovic bask in his glory in two weeks.

Next week: the Street Profits vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel and LeRae vs. Aliyah.

Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane

Sane takes off the wristband to start and sends Belair to the apron, allowing her to mock the hair whip. A spear and basement dropkick have Belair in trouble but she’s right back with a powerslam. The abdominal stretch stays on the ribs and Belair covers with one foot, including a mock of the ahoy pose. Sane is right back with an Octopus Hold but gets broken up in a hurry.

Instead she heads up top and dives into a fall away slam for her efforts. Belair’s splash hits some quickly raised knees and Sane dropkicks her to the floor. Back in and Belair’s suplex is reversed into a DDT, meaning it’s the sliding elbow in the corner. A top rope forearm gets two but Belair is fine enough to catch her on top. The superplex, with Belair hanging onto the ropes, drops Sane so a moonsault can get two. Belair loads up the hair whip but it’s Shayna Baszler running in for the DQ at 8:26.

Rating: B. Obvious ending aside, this was a rather strong trading of big spots with Belair being at her best just showing off her athleticism. Sane can more than hang with her in that area though, making this a very entertaining match. I’m not sure who leaves Takeover with the title but at least the ending was the right call and no one too a loss.

Post match Io Shirai runs in to help Sane but gets beaten down by Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. The women’s division comes out to break it up and Belair throws Lacey Lane onto the pile. We’re not done as Shirai moonsaults onto everyone and poses with the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. You can picture the checklist that NXT follows as they run through the go home shows. Everything on here served a purpose and each of the Takeover matches got some kind of attention. Nothing was left out and matches were set up for the next two weeks. That’s very impressive and it’s a good match on top of that. If Takeover comes close to its potential, it’s the show of the year so far, as tends to be the case. Typical NXT here.

Results

War Raiders b. ???/??? – Pop up powerslam to ???

War Raiders b. Adrian Jaoude/Cezar Bononi – Fallout to Bononi

Jaxson Ryker b. Oney Lorcan – Sitout spinebuster

Bianca Belair b. Kairi Sane via DQ when Shayna Baszler interfered

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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Takeover: Phoenix: The Side Trips Can Be Fun

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: Phoenix
Date: January 26, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

I don’t think I need to waste your time suggesting that this show might be awesome. Takeover has raised their standard up so high that there’s no reason to suggest that it’s going to be anything less than great. The question now is how great, which should make for a heck of an evening. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the desert, where it’s hot, dry and quiet. Until there’s a loud chant for NXT of course. The card gets a rundown, which works quite well when there are only five matches. The sound of a rattlesnake is a nice touch.

Kingdom Hearts III is sponsoring the show. I’m home.

We go to the Spanish broadcasters but the lights go out as they’re talking….because we have vikings.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

The Raiders are challenging and have a full legion of vikings with shields and spears (one of which was apparently played by Rowe’s newlywed Sarah Logan). I’m not big on vikings most of the time (now Cowboys on the other hand….) but this was freaking awesome. Bobby Fish is out with the champs here. The fans seem to be behind the champs, who jump the Raiders to get things going.

Rowe takes both of them outside with clotheslines, followed by Hansen doing the same. Just to show off a bit, Rowe slams Hansen off the apron onto both of them and then shrugs off a flying shoulder back inside. O’Reilly breaks up Fallout and the champs finally get in some offense. A bunch of strikes have Hansen in trouble as kicking at the legs slows him down. Hansen shrugs off a guillotine choke and brings in Rowe, who no sells a forearm and throws O’Reilly at Strong.

Everything breaks down and Hansen misses a suicide dive for a nasty looking crash. That doesn’t seem to bother Rowe, who hammers both of them down anyway. A backbreaker cuts him off though and Rowe gets dropped ribs first across the top rope. The dueling chants begin as O’Reilly hits a half nelson backbreaker for two. O’Reilly tries a rear naked choke so Rowe walks him into the corner, drawing Strong in for the double teaming.

The fans rather approve as they’re certainly split here. Rowe tosses O’Reilly to the floor, followed by winning a strike off back inside. That’s enough for the second hot tag to Hansen so house can be cleaned again. Hansen cartwheels into a dropkick and tries the forever lariats in the corner. A Bronco Buster gets two on Strong but Strong is right back with a running clothesline.

The pop up powerslam plants O’Reilly and Hansen dives onto Strong as Kyle kicks out in a heck of a near fall that I almost bought as the finish. A powerbomb into a top rope splash gets two more but Fallout is broken up again. Instead Strong hits a top rope superplex into a top rope knee from O’Reilly for a VERY close two and that’s a standing ovation. Strong scores with the Angle Slam for two more, followed by High/Low for ANOTHER two as Hansen just won’t stay down.

Another High/Low is countered and it’s a Tajiri handspring elbow to both champs. Rowe comes back in and it’s a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam to O’Reilly and Strong at the same time. Because that can just be done you see. O’Reilly is DONE and Fallout gives us new champions at 16:58.

Rating: A-. This was the long form tag team formula and it told a great story with the Era hitting everything they could on the monsters but not being able to do enough. It makes the Raiders look like the truly better team because the Era couldn’t stop them no matter what. That’s how you do a match like this and the Raiders are going to hold those titles for a very long time. Great opener.

Pete Dunne and Toni Storm are here.

We recap Kassius Ohno vs. Matt Riddle. Ohno has lost to him twice in a row now but after the second loss, he attacked Riddle in a huge heel moment. The idea is that Ohno isn’t happy with Riddle for being the new NXT toy and wants to give him a welcome beating.

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

Riddle is ready with the strikes at the bell and knocks Ohno to the floor for a running forearm off the steps. Back in and Riddle knees him in the ribs, followed by a running forearm on the apron. A sunset bomb is countered with a stomp to the face (sometimes it makes more sense to go simple) and we hit the cravate on Riddle. An elbow to the face gets two more and Ohno erupts on him in the corner.

They head outside again with Ohno sending him head first into the steps, just like he did in the post-second match attack. Back in and Ohno stomps hard on Riddle’s fingers but Riddle is fine enough for a bridging German suplex. That means it’s time for the kicks to the chest….so Ohno BITES THE TOE. Good grief dude I know you have a good sized gut but if you need a snack during a match, we’re reaching Bastion Booger territory.

Ohno gets two off a Liger Bomb and a moonsault (THUD) connects for the same. Riddle pulls him straight down into a rear naked choke but Ohno is in the corner pretty fast. The offer of a fist bump just gets Ohno beaten up even more, with Riddle taking him down and unloading with forearms to the back of the head for the tap at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Not too bad at all here, but it wasn’t exactly in doubt, save for a surprise Keith Lee turn. The action was fine with Ohno seeming desperate to beat Riddle, who has beaten him twice before. That was a fine story and the ending was the right call, though it wasn’t exactly some thrilling stuff. They didn’t overstay their welcome though and that’s how things should have gone here.

Velveteen Dream arrives with some good looking women.

We recap the North American Title match. Champion Ricochet is answering a challenge, as Tommaso Ciampa suggested that Johnny Gargano go after the title. Ricochet is an amazing talent, but Gargano is full of evil and seemingly being manipulated by Ciampa, but this has the potential to be an instant classic. They’re heavily pushing the good vs. evil story here, as Ricochet is almost pure while Gargano is willing to do whatever it takes to shake off his demons and become champion. Heck of a story indeed.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet

Ricochet is defending. It’s a feeling out process to start with no one getting the advantage early on. Johnny’s headlock doesn’t get him very far but Ricochet nips up off a shoulder. What looked like a Gargano Escape winds up being a crucifix for two but Ricochet is right back up with some flips to avoid a hurricanrana. Another headscissors attempt earns Gargano a dropkick to the floor, setting up a step up moonsault from the middle rope, because Ricochet can just do that.

Back in and Ricochet gets caught in a hot shot onto the top turnbuckle as Gargano isn’t just evil, but he’s also smart. A chinlock backbreaker gives Gargano two but the slingshot spear misses, allowing Ricochet to hit a moonsault to the back. Ricochet picks up the pace with a running hurricanrana and a 619 in the corner. There’s the spring European uppercut into the rolling suplexes for two more.

Another hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb into a crossface and now it’s Ricochet in trouble. It’s too early for the Gargano Escape but the slingshot DDT is countered with a backdrop out to the apron. You know that means the flip dive, because that’s what Ricochet does. Back in and it’s a standing shooting star into a middle rope moonsault for two on Gargano as things are getting faster. Ricochet goes up but Gargano catches him with a hurricanrana….so Ricochet lands on his feet. The fans are VERY impressed, as they should be to be fair.

Ricochet tries a handspring but gets pulled into the Gargano Escape, again much to the fans’ delight. That’s broken up with some power (an underutilized part of Ricochet’s offense) and Gargano gets suplexed into the corner. It’s too early for the 630 as Gargano rolls outside before Ricochet can launch. Instead it’s a running flip dive over the corner as Ricochet gets to show off again.

The springboard 450 gives Ricochet two but a way too long shooting star press hits knees. Gargano superkicks him to the floor, where Ricochet catches a suicide dive in a fireman’s carry….which is reversed into a reverse hurricanrana to drive Ricochet head first into the floor. Back in and Gargano’s slingshot DDT is only good for two as even commentary needs a minute to breathe. With frustration setting in, Gargano pulls the floor mats back but a little humanity sinks in, causing Gargano to take it back inside instead.

A clothesline drops Gargano, who avoids the Phoenix splash. Instead Ricochet throws him down and slaps on a Gargano Escape of his own, sending Gargano crawling to the ropes. They head to the apron with Gargano sending him head first into the post (which was done to him last year), setting up a suplex/brainbuster hybrid on the concrete. Ricochet is out on his feet so it’s another slingshot DDT (with a spike) to give Gargano the pin and the title at 24:25.

Rating: A. What a spectacle but they actually had a story being told as well. Ricochet is the ultimate athlete with a combination of power (not a great amount but it’s there) and incredible athleticism, but Gargano is just talented all around, combined with a never say die attitude. The story here though was Gargano doing whatever it took to win because he knew what would happen if he didn’t. There was also the resistance to use the concrete before giving into the demons in the end and winning the title by any means necessary. Heck of a story but an even better match. This is an early Match of the Year contender, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

We recap Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair. Bianca is an athletic freak who has run over everyone through sheer athleticism and talent. Baszler is a bit older but more experienced and arguably well rounded. All Belair can say is that she’s undefeated, which makes her seem way too confident.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair

Bianca is challenging and drives her into the corner a few times to start for some bragging clean breaks. Thankfully Baszler gets tired of the UN-DE-FEA-TED chant and tries an O-VER-RA-TED version. A hard shoulder puts Baszler down and Belair takes over on the floor. Baszler shows off the intelligence though and grabs the hair to pull Bianca into the post. It’s only good for a nine count so Baszler is right onto her with shots to the face and an armbar.

The Dakota Kai arm stomp has Belair getting checked in the corner as Baszler is on a roll. We hit the armbar (makes sense in this case) for a bit until a hard kick to the face gives the champ two. The O-VER-RA-TED taunt earns Baszler a slap in the face and a spear with the bad arm gets two more. Baszler kicks her in the ribs and gets two off a running knee strike. The slugout is on until Belair whips the heck out of her with the hair, actually busting Shayna’s stomach open.

A toss into the corner knocks the referee down though and the KOD connects, meaning there’s no one to count. Cue Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke to interfere and be taken out, allowing Shayna to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair still isn’t done though and fights up, somehow swinging Baszler to the side, setting up a suplex for the real break. Back up and Belair completely misses a 450, allowing Baszler to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair somehow stands up again and we get an EST chant but she collapses and passes out at 15:13.

Rating: B-. There was some great athleticism on display here, but egads that UN-DE-FEA-TED thing isn’t exactly making me want to cheer for Belair. They did everything here to make her into a face and that worked well enough, but was I supposed to like her coming into this? Baszler winning made perfect sense here and was what I was expecting, though it was a little jarring to suddenly be cheering for the cockiest woman in the division. You can almost guarantee Belair wins the rematch though.

Velveteen Dream and said women are in the front row.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black. Ciampa won the NXT Title thanks to some accidental interference from Johnny Gargano. Since then Ciampa and Gargano have tentatively reunited as Ciampa has gone on a rampage. Tonight, Black gets his long awaited rematch after trading wins with Gargano. This feels like a stop on a longer road, but that doesn’t mean it’s not looking great.

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa is defending and sweet goodness Black’s entrance is still cool. That’s similar to Undertaker’s where you can do it time after time and it never gets old. They go straight to a hard lockup and fall to the floor without letting go. Back in and Black takes him down with a few more headlocks as you can certainly feel the anger. I mean, they’re some pretty harsh headlocks. Back up (eventually) so Black starts in with the kicks, sending Ciampa down onto the mat to duck a big one.

Black has a seat as well as the mind games are strong with this one. Mauro suddenly dubs Tommaso Tommy, all so he can say Black wants to “End Tommy.” Egads that was a stretch and even too hard of a pun for me. Black hits a big flip dive to the floor and Ciampa needs a breather. Instead he gets a kick to the head before getting smart, sending the knee into the steps. A suplex sends the knee into the steps again and it’s Ciampa in full control for the first time. Back in and Ciampa cranks on the knee like a smart villain should.

The leg gets tied in the ropes for a kick to the knee and Ciampa calls him a one trick pony. After wrapping the knee around the post one way, Ciampa does it again from the other side in a smart move. We’re not done yet either as Ciampa drops the knee onto the announcers’ table before having a rather evil seat. We continue the streak of leg work with a trip to the Tree of Woe but Ciampa lets him go pretty quickly. It’s a bit too quickly as Black hits a running kick to the head in the corner.

Back in and the kick to the chest with the good leg gets two but Black is slow to follow up. Neither finisher can connect on either of two attempts so Ciampa forearms him in the back of the head. Ciampa tries the Fairy Tale Ending for the third time, only to be reversed into a bridging German suplex (on one leg) for two. Black Mass is loaded up but the knee gives out, allowing Ciampa to dragon screw legwhip him into a half crab. That’s reverses into the same thing on Ciampa but since Ciampa’s knee is fine, it doesn’t last long.

Black tries his middle rope moonsault to the floor, which of course takes forever. Instead it’s a Tower of London (hanging cutter) onto the apron to give the champ two more. They slug it out with Black getting the better of it, including a double stomp to the chest. A brainbuster gets two on the champ and he heads outside with the middle rope moonsault connecting this time around. Black slips on the way back in though and the Fairy Tale Ending gets a very close two.

With nothing else working, Ciampa pulls the floor pads back (popular move around here) but the yelling referee allows Black to hit a Meteora off the apron. Back in and Black Mass connects in full but Black’s knee is way too banged up for the cover. Ciampa is able to roll onto his side and they’re back up again. Another Black Mass nearly hits the referee so Ciampa sends him into the ropes for the hanging DDT. The Fairy Tale Ending gets a heck of a near fall so it’s a third Fairy Tale Ending into a fourth Fairy Tale Ending to retain the title at 26:31.

Rating: A-. As tends to be the case on a lot of Takeovers, this wasn’t exactly surprising but they worked very hard and told a story with Ciampa taking away Black’s best weapon to slow him down. Black gave him a great fight but came up short, because Ciampa really is as good as he brags about being. It did feel like a stop on the way to a bigger story, but they beat the heck out of each other in a match that lets Ciampa look better without Black losing a ton in defeat. He would seem to be main roster bound pretty soon anyway so it doesn’t mean too much in the long run.

After a bunch of replays, Ciampa heads up to the stage to pose, drawing out Gargano to hold up his own title for the big super evil pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. And somehow, that feels like it belongs on the lower end of the series. This was another excellent show with three great matches and the worst match on the card being perfectly watchable. I’m almost scared to imagine what they have for the final, mega blowoff between Gargano vs. Ciampa, but somehow I completely believe that they could make it live up to the hype. Now where else are you going to see something like that other than NXT? This lived up to the hype and really, that’s all you would have expected around here.

Results

War Raiders b. Undisputed Era – Fallout to O’Reilly

Matt Riddle b. Kassius Ohno – Forearms to the back of the head

Johnny Gargano b. Ricochet – Slingshot DDT

Shayna Baszler b. Bianca Belair – Kirifuda Clutch

Tommaso Ciampa b. Aleister Black – Fairy Tale Ending

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Takeover: Phoenix Preview

IMG Credit: WWE

I’m really not sure what to say about Takeover anymore. You know it’s going to be great. You know it’s going to be impressive. You know it’s going to be one of the best shows of the year. We’re WAY past the point of believing that it’s going to be anything else, so now the question is how good can it be. This show’s card is rather impressive and there’s a good chance that their first show in the desert could be great. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Bianca Belair

We’ll start off with a match that got a great boost from the final push. I’m not completely sold on how the match is going to go as Belair doesn’t have much experience against a top name as she’s only wrestled a bunch of squashes and Nikki Cross for the most part. That being said, Baszler is someone who can help carry her through and the story of Belair being the natural athlete not being able to handle someone with the skills and experience of Baszler. It worked in Top Gun.

I really could see this going either way but I’ll go with Baszler retaining. Belair is someone who is going to come back and win the title later on, perhaps on a big episode of TV, but I think she needs to learn something before getting the ultimate goal. The idea of Baszler catching her for trying to do something a little too big or impressive works for me, though I also wouldn’t be shocked to see Belair win, sending Baszler into the Women’s Royal Rumble and the main roster in general. I’ll go with Baszler retaining, but her days are numbered.

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

This is one where the ending isn’t exactly in doubt. Riddle is going to be one of the biggest stars in NXT and Ohno’s entire job is to put people over. Ohno has already lost to him twice, both times in pretty definitive fashions. There is still the possibility of Keith Lee turning on Riddle to cost him the match, though that seems to be a bit of a bad idea, especially after Lee has lost twice now.

I’ll go with Riddle winning here, which is exactly what he should do. Lee can take him out after the match or on the next TV show, but having Ohno defeat Riddle, even through shenanigans, doesn’t make a ton of sense. Going with what makes sense fits NXT far better than anything else. Riddle wins, though watch out for the rather large and athletic man lurking around.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era(c) vs. War Raiders

I’m thinking this one is a little more straightforward like the previous match. The War Raiders debuted last year around Wrestlemania time and I don’t think have actually lost a match since (a rather common trope around here and something that works well because, believe it or not, wins and losses matter in wrestling). The Undisputed Era has held the titles almost uninterrupted since November 2017 and it’s time for a change.

So yeah we’ll go with the title change here because there’s no reason for it not to happen. The Raiders have been built up perfectly for this and the Era is pretty much out of people to face. Let them chase the titles for the time being until someone else gets built up to take the titles from the Raiders several months from now. It makes sense, and NXT isn’t the kind of place to go completely off the beaten path with some crazy move.

North American Title: Ricochet(c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Yes. That word seems rather appropriate here as there’s a very strong chance that this is going to be a match of the year candidate. These two tend to do that and I could very easily see Ricochet moving up towards the main event scene in short order. He’s that good, and his star power has been on the rise since his debut, when it was huge in the first place. However, does he lose the title here to someone who is already a major star?

The more I think about it, the less sure I am. I’m going with Gargano winning the title in an upset here as he embraces the darkness even more and goes full on evil to win the title, likely running off Candice LeRae in the process. This is all setting up an insanely awesome tag match with Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. the evil DIY (if the title wasn’t a factor, that could be the feature match in New York) and having Ricochet chase the title that he was cheated out of could work wonderfully. Gargano wins, in my least confident pick of the show.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa(c) vs. Aleister Black

This is actually a weird one as I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The match itself is more of a stopping point on the major story and I’m not sure where that’s going to end. I do like the idea of having the Takeover match not needing to be the big definitive ending because the story isn’t ready to be there yet. Black deserves his rematch and the aggression he shows against the master manipulator should be great.

However, it’s not going to be enough as Gargano likely helps Ciampa retain the title, reforming the team once and for all (or at least until Johnny exorcises his demons and wins the title in the biggest blowoff NXT will ever have). Black can join forces with Ricochet (sadly not Velveteen Dream it seems) and set up the dream tag match, but this time around it’s the evil DIY standing tall to end the show.

Overall Thoughts

It’s kind of a weird show in the series as it feels like a pit stop on the way towards the New York show. The cool thing about NXT though is they know how to make this work anyway and I want to see the show. It might be one of the weaker Takeovers, but that means it more like the poorest millionaire. The show is going to rock and that’s all that matters. It’s also all that’s expected, which isn’t something you can say about much anything else.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Takeover: WarGames II – Now This Feels Right

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: WarGames II
Date: November 17, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Yeah I think this is going to do just fine. Not counting the show’s namesake match, it’s a big card with a 2/3 falls title match, an NXT Title match and what could be a heck of a grudge match. As usual, NXT knows how to present a big card with all the junk trimmed off to give us the best show possible. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the four matches on the card, with WarGames getting a little more attention than everything else.

The announcers preview the show with Mauro talking about Stan Lee passing away and comparing the main event to the Infinity War.

Here’s Matt Riddle, who isn’t scheduled to be on the show. He’s supposed to face Kassius Ohno on NXT this Wednesday but since they have a ring….two rings right here, let’s do this right now. Ohno comes out and says ring the bell.

Kassius Ohno vs. Matt Riddle

Bell, Riddle knees him in the face, pin in six seconds. Oh yeah I think they’ve got something with Riddle.

Women’s Title: Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is defending and this is 2/3 falls after they’ve traded the title a few times over the last several months. Sane dropkicks her in the corner at the bell and hits a neckbreaker, followed by a running Blockbuster. The running seated clothesline sends Baszler outside and a running elbow from the apron takes her down again. With the referee checking on Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir run in and beat Sane down. Back in and the Kirifuda Clutch makes Sane tap for the first fall at 2:00.

The fans aren’t happy and Sane makes it worse by trying it again early on, sending Sane to the ropes this time. Baszler stomps her in the head and puts on the neck crank before going back to the Clutch. Sane flips back for two and the break before going into a slugout. That goes badly for her too as Shayna knocks her silly and hits a hard clothesline.

Baszler takes her to the apron for a suplex but Sane reverses into a DDT, freaking out Duke, Shafir and the referee. With Shayna confirmed to not be dead, Sane ducks some kicks from Duke and Shafir, setting up the big dive onto everyone. Back in and the Insane Elbow ties things up at 7:37.

Three straight spears and a pair of spinning backfists look to set up another Elbow but Baszler pops up. They slug it out on top with Sane managing a sunset bomb for two. Duke offers a distraction so Shafir can shove Sane off the top. Cue Dakota Kai and Io Shirai for the save with Shirai hitting a moonsault off the top onto everyone. The distraction lets Sane get up top for the Insane Elbow, but Shayna reverses it into a rollup for the pin to retain at 10:56.

Rating: B. Where’s the rest of this match? This felt like the first two thirds or even one half of a great match but they cut it off as things were starting to cook. You would think this sets up a six woman tag as Shayna shifts over to either Kai or Shirai. Either way, good match, but I could have gone for a lot more of this. I do remember hearing something about Baszler being hurt so maybe that’s why it wasn’t quite as long.

X-Pac is here.

We recap Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano. Black was attacked by a mystery man, sending NXT into a month plus long whodunit story. It turned out to be Gargano, who was rapidly losing his grip on reality as he became more and more obsessed with stopping Tommaso Ciampa. He did one horrible thing for the sake of the greater good and has started living in the darkness. The problem: he’s starting to like it there.

Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black

Gargano: “Bring me the Black Mass!” Black’s rising up entrance is back and now his vest has horns. They stare each other down to start as the fans seem split. Gargano slaps him in the face so Black kicks him right back. Another kick puts Gargano on the floor and it’s time for Johnny to duck some right hands. Gargano avoids them so well that he sits in the middle of the ring to taunt Black even more. A few more punches are ducked so Black kicks him in the face and a knee sends Gargano outside.

Black moonsaults into the seated position and gets kicked in the face for his efforts. The fans aren’t happy as Gargano stomps away in the corner and it’s off to a surfboard. The over confident Johnny slugs away in the corner but misses the rolling kick to the head. Instead a running big boot sends Gargano outside for the big flip dive. Back in and a Lionsault to a standing Gargano for two and Black kicks him outside again. The middle rope moonsault misses so Johnny hits a suicide dive DDT. A slingshot DDT gives Gargano two and the chance to say that he’s the chosen one.

Black, apparently not one to have Jeff Jarrett’s good name sullied, strikes away but gets caught with a reverse hurricanrana. Gargano charges into a knee to the face though and they’re both down again. The slingshot spear is kicked out of the air and Black hits a springboard spinning knee to the chest. A German suplex gives Black two and we have dueling THIS IS AWESOME chants. Johnny is fine enough to spin into the Gargano Escape, which Black escapes by rolling Gargano up.

The Lawn Dirt sends Black face first into the middle buckle and it’s time for the DIY superkick. Hang on though as Black sits down and demands Johnny’s best shot. Gargano does just that, followed by a running knee for two. That’s too much for Johnny and he’s not sure what to do next. He lifts Black to his knees and forearms him in the head, starting the slugout.

This goes badly for Gargano but he shoves Black of the top to break up a springboard. Another suicide dive is kneed out of the air though and they’re both down on the floor. Gargano begs both off and forgiveness before asking for Black Mass. That’s reversed into a rollup and then the Gargano Escape, with Black again rolling his way out. A jumping spinning knee to the face rocks Gargano and Black Mass knocks Johnny silly. Black won’t let him go down though and hits a second Black Mass for the pin at 18:06.

Rating: A-. The story here was Gargano trying to go to the levels of evil that he needed to beat Black but not being able to get that deep yet. There’s still too much humanity in Johnny and the old good guy held him back just enough from being able to beat Black. On the other hand, this match was about two guys hitting each other in the face really, really hard and that’s entertaining every single time. Black winning is a little surprising, but you know Gargano isn’t done with Ciampa yet. Losses don’t affect him like they do with most people so we’re a long way from done.

How to help with the California wildfires.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream. The Dream accused Ciampa of attacking Black and said he wanted a title shot to give the fans an experience at Takeover. The match was made and Dream is ready to stop Ciampa from stealing the spotlight any longer.

NXT Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Dream is dressed as Hollywood Hogan (complete with boa) so the announcers make as many Hogan references as they can, complete with Nigel reciting Real American lyrics. Ciampa makes sure to step into the middle of the ring for the spotlight during the Big Match Intros. The fans are behind the Dream here and a lockup nearly sends Ciampa to the floor. Instead Dream takes him to the mat and poses a bit as Ciampa covers his head. Ciampa even goes for the hair so Dream slaps him in the face.

The Fairy Tale Ending is broken up but Ciampa manages to steal the headband. That’s cool with Dream, who rolls outside and grabs the title. Ciampa isn’t having that so the chase is on with Dream hammering away and snapping Ciampa’s throat across the top (Dream: “Welcome to the experience!”). Dream gets the head band back and puts a hand to his ear, setting up a big boot but Ciampa rolls away before the big leg. Instead Dream settles for a top rope ax handle to the floor, only to have a springboard broken up.

Back in and the running knee (with the brace) knocks Dream silly and a second one sends Dream outside again. The chinlock goes on (with a long piece of spit falling out of Dream’s mouth) with Ciampa shouting NIGHT NIGHT. Dream comes back with a neckbreaker and a forearm into the nipup. Now the three right hands set up the big boot and a pair of legdrops (Is he trying to kill him???), followed by a spinebuster for two.

Ciampa bails so Dream dives on him but it’s too early for the Purple Rainmaker. Dream goes after the knee instead and puts on the Figure Four around the post. Ciampa taps, but it doesn’t matter since they’re in the ropes. Back in and Dream wisely goes with a regular Figure Four so Ciampa tries to roll it over. In something I’ve never seen, Dream lifts his leg, kicks Ciampa in the face, and puts it right back down to keep the hold on. The hold is finally broken so Dream suplexes him over the top but falls outside with him. They’re both down on the floor, with Ciampa untying his boot.

Both of them are back in at nine and Ciampa rolls him up with tights but the referee catches it just in time. The Dream Valley Driver gets two but hits springboard crossbody is kneed out of the air. Project Ciampa gets two more so Ciampa unlaces the boot even more and tries to walk out. Dream isn’t having that and hits the twisting DDT onto the title for a VERY close two. Another Figure Four is broken up and Ciampa loses his boot, setting up the hanging DDT for an even closer two.

With nothing else working, Ciampa pulls the floor mats back but another hanging DDT on the floor is broken up with a crash over the announcers’ table. Ciampa actually stops to yell at Mauro, allowing Dream to hit the Dream Valley Driver on the exposed concrete. Back in and the Purple Rainmaker connects for a crazy close two but a second on the apron completely misses. Ciampa hits the hanging DDT onto the steel partition between the rings to retain at 22:26.

Rating: A. There was no reason for this to so good but egads Dream pulled off another classic here. I bought the heck out of some of those near falls, even though Dream winning the title was a long shot at best. This was a great example of two guys doing everything they could when the spotlight was on bright and that’s a great sign. Outstanding match here as Dream continues to come up huge on the grand stages.

Dream is still out cold after the recap video.

Nita Strauss is here.

The cage is lowered.

We recap WarGames. The Undisputed Era have been tormenting Ricochet, Pete Dunne and the War Raiders for months, causing the four of them to reluctantly band together to fight them off. This led to a bunch of brawls and of course that means WarGames. The Undisputed Era won last year so they have some experience, but that doesn’t mean much in this match.

Pete Dunne/Ricochet/War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

There is a big cage (still no roof) over both rings. Both teams will send in one man to start the match and the two of them will fight for five minutes. After that, the Undisputed Era (who won the advantage in a match on NXT) will send in a second man for a 2-1 advantage for three minutes. When that time is over, the other team can even things up for three minutes. They alternate until all eight are in and then it’s first pin or submission to win. You cannot win the match until everyone is in. If you escape or leave the cage, you forfeit the match for your team.

Cole and Ricochet (with which face paint just like his partners) start things off. They each stay in their own ring until Ricochet comes across to start the fight. Some early right hands don’t do much to Ricochet, who bounces back up with his headscissors into the dropkick. Ricochet dives into a Backstabber though and the fireman’s carry backbreaker keeps him in trouble. The slow beating continues (makes sense as you want to conserve energy) until Ricochet kicks him out of the corner.

A springboard (from one ring to the other) uppercut drops Cole and it’s Kyle O’Reilly coming in next (albeit a little after five minutes). O’Reilly goes straight after the back and takes out Ricochet’s knee with a dragon screw legwhip. The double stomping continues until Ricochet sends them into each other. Another fireman’s carry backbreaker, this time from Cole onto O’Reilly’s knee, keeps Ricochet in trouble and it’s Hanson, with a bad knee, coming in to even things up.

The big man starts cleaning house with a seated senton out of the corner and a cartwheel just to annoy Cole. A long series of running corner clotheslines sets up a double Bronco Buster and Ricochet is back up. That means Hanson dropping down to be a launchpad for a running shooting star (cool) to O’Reilly. The spinning powerslam is broken up though and it’s back to Ricochet chopping Cole in the corner.

Roderick Strong is in to make it 3-2 and the pace picks up again with running knees in the corner. A half nelson backbreaker drops Ricochet and a torture rack backbreaker does it again. The Era is back up for the triple teaming on Hanson, including an Angle Slam from Strong. More running strikes in the corner keep Ricochet and Hanson in trouble as the announcers are already saying the Era is going to win.

Rowe evens things up and the Era is smart enough to be waiting on him in the same cage. That doesn’t seem to matter as Rowe starts throwing suplexes and heavy forearms. O’Reilly’s choke goes nowhere as Hanson is back up. Just to show off, Rowe hits a powerbomb on Strong and a World’s Strongest Slam on O’Reilly at the same time. That’s not normal by any definition. Cole immediately bails but backs into Ricochet so the Raiders send him face first into the cage. Bobby Fish is released from his cage but steals the lock and doubles up Dunne’s cage in a smart move, throwing the key into the crowd.

Fish pulls out some Undisputed Era chairs and the Era starts unloading. Rowe gets Rock Bottomed through an open chair and the dominance is on. The clock runs out but the referees can only open one lock. Back to back superplexes have the Raiders mostly done, allowing Cole to talk trash. The referees finally find some bolt cutters so the also injured (knee) Dunne limps to the ring and finds a kendo stick to battle his way inside. Ricochet adds a dive to take out all of the Era, allowing Dunne to find some more weapons.

That includes some tables and Dunne finally gets in, meaning the match is now officially on. The weapons are in full force with the Era taking a heck of a beating. Dunne starts breaking fingers and Hanson puts a trashcan over Cole’s head so Rowe can lift him up and drive Hanson into Cole in the corner. Rowe slams Hanson onto O’Reilly and Strong takes a German suplex/springboard clothesline combination. A trashcan to the head saves Strong from the same fate and the comeback is on again.

Dunne is surrounded but fights off all four of them at once, including a kneebar on Fish. O’Reilly makes the save and finds a chain but Dunne ties him up with it and grabs a guillotine choke. That’s broken up with a chair to Dunne’s bad knee and the ankle lock goes on with the chairs being used to hold off Ricochet and the Raiders. Strong pulls back on Dunne’s face with a chair at the same time until Ricochet dives over for the save. Everyone is down again until Hanson gets up to start punching.

Ricochet is up with a super hurricanrana to Fish while Dunne hits a butterfly superplex on Strong at the same time. Hanson loads up a table, which breaks as soon as he puts Cole on it. Instead it’s a pop up powerslam for two on Cole but Fish drives Rowe through a table between the rings. O’Reilly gets Ricochet in a triangle choke on a table, allowing Hanson to splash him through the table for the break (in more ways than one). Strong makes a save though and everyone is down again.

Cole and Ricochet go up top for a slugout but Strong has the bright idea of trying to knock Ricochet off, which is the same as forfeiting. I guess we needed a tribute to the Bunkhouse Stampede as well. Dunne and Rowe come over for the save and it’s a Tower of Doom off the side of the cage. Ricochet is left on top of the cage though so everyone stands up right in front of him (never liked that) for a near 720 moonsault onto everyone for the big knockdown. Mauro: “MAMA F’N MIA!” Oh I think that one was deserved.

Everyone gets up with each team standing in one ring and it’s time for the big standoff, which does look rather cool. They all get between the rings and erupt. That doesn’t last long so it’s Fallout to Strong with O’Reilly making another save. Hanson handsprings O’Reilly and Fish down but gets superkicked by Cole. Ricochet gets superkicked as well and Dunne takes the Last Shot for two. Dunne hits a quick Bitter End and Ricochet adds a shooting star press for the double pin on Cole at 47:06.

Rating: A. I’m not exactly sure what to think of this. First of all, the original format is WAY better. Having nine people on three teams was too messy and didn’t really suit the way this match has gone over the years. WarGames is one of those nearly perfect concepts and there’s very little reason to tweak it that much. This style was much, much better and made it a lot more enjoyable.

I liked the match a lot, though it felt like it dragged at some point (which can happen in WarGames) it really could have been about ten minutes shorter. They did a very good job with building up the drama and it felt more like WarGames, but it wasn’t quite as brutal as last year’s match. The ending was the right call as there wasn’t anything to be gained by having the Undisputed Era win again. That spot with all eight of them going into the center was excellent and drew me right back in though and the double pin was a great way to wrap it up.

Above all else, this felt more like WarGames, which was lacking last year. I could still go for less weapons in there and more use of the cage (the lack of a roof doesn’t bother me and makes for better camera shots) and of course blood, but that’s just not going to happen, which is understandable. Anyway, great match but it didn’t quite hit the level of the best WarGames matches.

Dunne and Ricochet look at each other and then pose on top of the cage with their titles.

Overall Rating: A+. With that kind of match quality up and down the card, what else could you go with here? Just one incredible match after another with a lot of doors being left open for the next Takeover in January. The people were on their games tonight with Dream and Black looking awesome (Black/Dream vs. a reunited DIY anyone?) in particular and WarGames blowing the roof (ok the non-existent roof) off the place. Another incredible entry in the series with a level of match quality that you just don’t get anywhere else.

Results

Matt Riddle b. Kassius Ohno – Jumping knee to the face

Shayna Baszler b. Kairi Sane – Rollup

Aleister Black b. Johnny Gargano – Black Mass

Pete Dunne/Ricochet/War Raiders b. Undisputed Era – Shooting star press to Cole

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Takeover: WarGames II Preview

How has Takeover never been to California before? Somehow this is the twenty second edition of Takeover ever and they’ve never been to California. Anyway this should be one of the better ones with some very storyline driven matches with some great action involved. Normally I would say you can’t tell what’s coming on a show…but I think you know what you’re going to get with a Takeover. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Kairi Sane

We’ll start with a title match because on a four match card, you have two title matches, a grudge match and the show’s namesake match. This is one of the longest running feuds in NXT history and, which I would have said their match at Evolution was the blowoff, we’re here with a 2/3 falls match as Sane cashes in her rematch clause. My guess is this is the final, final, FINAL match in the feud, though if it’s not, it’s not the worst thing in the world as the matches have been pretty good.

I’m going with Sane getting the title back for a few reasons, starting with the idea that Sane has far more heel challengers to come after the title than Baszler. You have Bianca Belair and Lacey Evans, among a few others for some fresh matches. Baszler on the other hand really doesn’t have much else to do in NXT and would make a good choice for a promotion. Like, say, as the final member of the Smackdown women’s team at Survivor Series.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa(c) vs. Velveteen Dream

What does it say that this is arguably the third biggest match on the show? It’s also the second match to come from the Aleister Black attack, which we’ll get to soon enough. Dream accused Ciampa of attacking Black and somehow got a title match out of it. The key to this whole thing has been turning Dream into a star, which has been taking place over the last several months. He’s become one of the hottest stars in NXT because the fans want to see him win. Throw in some off the charts charisma and it’s no surprise that Dream is as awesome as he’s become.

I’ll go with Ciampa retaining though, as there’s very little reason to believe that Johnny Gargano isn’t going to be involved in Ciampa losing the title. Dream is going to come close and probably even hit the Purple Rainmaker, but he’s not taking the title. At the end of the day, they’ve set up the Gargano vs. Ciampa feud for way too long to have Dream get in the middle of it now. Ciampa retains after a heck of a fight.

Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano

On any other show, this would be the headliner. Gargano’s heel turn has been a work of art as he was revealed as Black’s attacker, all in the name of destroying Ciampa once and for all. That promo with him walking along the path where Black was attacked was excellent and came off like one of the best things NXT has done in a long time (and that’s covering a lot of ground. Black has reason to want to take Gargano apart and h can start by kicking his head off.

That being said, Gargano should win here with some kind of nefarious means. They can set up a rematch down the line in what should be one of Black’s last matches in NXT. He’s ready for the main roster and after wrapping things up with Gargano, he should head there. Gargano’s heel turn is way too hot to have him lose his first big match so it makes a lot more sense to have him win here, likely after some form of cheating. As long as we get more Gargano promo greatness, everything will be fine.

WarGames: Undisputed Era vs. Ricochet/Pete Dunne/War Raiders

And we wrap it up with this. Last year’s match was kind of an awesome mess with the trios version, but now it seems that we’re back to the regular formula. These four have been feuding for months and while the faces have been having issues for a long time, this is the kind of match where you can put those differences aside and have a great come together moment. Or you can fight each other and let the other four man team take you apart in even shorter order.

I’m really not sure on this one as you could go either way but I’ll take Ricochet and company. A win over one of them could set up the War Raiders for a Tag Team Title shot down the line or set up a Ricochet vs. Dunne showdown over who got the win. The Undisputed Era won last year and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them win again, but I’ll take the makeshift team to send the fans home happy (though they would likely be happy either way).

Overall Thoughts

I’ve said this a few times but it’s still true: the amount of mileage NXT has gotten out of Black’s real life injury is astounding. Half of this card, including the NXT Title match, which doesn’t even have Black involved, has spun off of the Black story. The whole thing fell into their lap but they’ve managed to turn it into something interesting. This card looks great and is going to fly by while also being a lot of fun. WarGames itself will be enough to carry the show but if we get three great matches to go along with the main event, I guess I can just force myself.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT – November 14, 2018: They Made War Sound Fun

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 14, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Takeover: WarGames II and the card seems to be mostly set. This time around there might only be four matches, but one of them will be 2/3 falls and another is WarGames so things should be fine. Tonight is the big final push towards the show and that should make for a fun show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim

This was set up last week in a backstage argument. Belair grabs her by the hair to start and throws Mia down without too much effort. Mia is right back with a headlock takeover and some trash talk, followed by the knee strikes. A pair of dropkicks have Belair in trouble and two more knock her down but Mia gets sent outside. Back in and Belair cranks on the neck, which does as much damage as you might expect. Some choking in the corner keeps Mia down but Belair spends too much time bragging to the crowd.

A missed legdrop lets Mia start the comeback, including sending her face first into the middle buckle. An assortment of kicks are cut off by a spinebuster to give Belair two but Mia is back with palm strikes. The cannonball in the corner connects and looks to set up Soul Food, which is reversed into the KOD to give Belair the pin at 8:04.

Rating: B-. This started slow but got much better by the end in a good match. Belair has all the natural talents you could ask for and the character work is coming along. A veteran like Yim is more polished and that’s always something valuable to have around. They’re testing Belair more every time and it’s becoming very fun to watch.

Ricochet and Pete Dunne argue over who will face a member of the Undisputed Era in the match for an advantage in WarGames. Hanson gets tired of the argument and says he’ll take the spot himself.

Long video on Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano with clips of the investigation spliced together with clips of Johnny’s big explanation last week and Gargano’s obsession with Tommaso Ciampa. It’s very, very impressive to weave three stories together like that and they knocked it out of the park.

Matt Riddle talks about how awesome his time here has been so far when Kassius Ohno comes in. Why hasn’t Riddle challenged him to a match yet? When Ohno came back to NXT, he challenged Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode but Riddle hasn’t done a thing. Riddle is cool with that and the match is set for next week.

Karisa Rivera vs. Lacey Evans

Rivera is a second generation wrestler. A drop toehold takes Karisa down and that means some pushups on her back. Rivera comes back with a dropkick for one, which just annoys Evans. She rams Karisa’s head into the mat over and over, followed by the Woman’s Right for the pin at 1:50.

Post match Lacey says so many ladies have forgotten about sophistication, but she’ll lead by example.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream, which also spun off from the Aleister Black attack. Ciampa, who talks to his title, wants everyone out of his spotlight and you just don’t say that to the Dream. Lars Sullivan isn’t mentioned at all.

Video on Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler. They’ve feuded for over a year now and what should be the final showdown is 2/3 falls with Baszler defending again. Sane holding up her empty treasure chest is a great visual and exactly what you would expect from her.

Takeover rundown.

Hanson vs. Kyle O’Reilly

The winners team gets the WarGames advantage. Kyle’s early right hands have no effect and Hanson screams at him. After a shoulder puts him down, O’Reilly tries sitting on the mat and kicking from his back. Hansen picks him up without much effort and puts him on the corner for some slaps to the chest. O’Reilly finally gets smart by kicking at the knee but not being able to get a half crab.

Instead he slaps Hanson in the head a few times and then chop blocks the monster down. The kneebar goes on so Hanson uses the free leg to kick O’Reilly square in the jaw. Hanson is up with a swinging powerslam for two and O’Reilly bails to the floor, only to get caught with a suicide dive. O’Reilly is dead and here’s Adam Cole for a distraction, causing Hanson to miss a moonsault.

A running knee gives O’Reilly two and it’s off to an ankle lock. Hanson makes the rope and Cole hits an enziguri to give O’Reilly two more. Cue Rowe to take care of Cole, allowing Hanson to clothesline O’Reilly down. Fish and Strong come out to take care of Rowe, drawing Dunne out as well. Ricochet comes out and hits a big flip dive over the referee to take everyone out. The distraction lets O’Reilly hit Hanson with a title for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. Nice match here with all of the interference being appropriate for once. You had to know the Undisputed Era was going to win here because it’s WarGames, but it was nice to have the match actually be fun. It helps that all of the Undisputed Era can put on a good match so throwing them out there in singles works just fine.

One last WarGames video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. Good wrestling, very good build towards Takeover, angle advancement and a big match being set up for next week. What else could you ever ask for out of a go home show? This show did everything it could be asked to do and that made for a really easy show that made me want to see Saturday’s show. That’s as good as it gets and NXT nailed it again.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Mia Yim – KOD

Lacey Evans b. Karisa Rivera – Woman’s Right

Kyle O’Reilly b. Hanson – Belt shot to the head

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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